How To Establish A Gold IRA ?

Precious metals, primarily gold & silver, provide great portfolio diversification as well as a hedge against market volatility and inflation. Rolling over an existing 401k into a gold IRA has become a popular way to both invest in physical precious metals as well as plan for a more secure retirement. So the question remains: how does one establish an IRA gold investment?

Adding physical precious metals to an IRA, first became an alternative to traditional 401k's following the creation of the Tax Payer Relief Act of 1997. Permissible metals in a gold IRA include gold, silver, platinum, and palladium, all of which must be bullion coins or bars and of certain specified fineness. Rare coins and other collectable gold & silver coins are not permissible in a gold IRA. Your precious metals broker will be able to work with you and advise you on which metals are right for your portfolio.

Before making a decision on which metals to purchase for your Self Directed IRA, it is wise to first initiate the process of establishing an IRA. The best place to start is to have your precious metals broker contact your current custodian to find out if you can add physical metals to your current IRA. In many cases, specific IRA plans and certain guidelines with your current account will not allow for precious metals investments. You must then start the process of a 401k rollover into a new, gold IRA account.

Your broker will then help you select a custodian who specializes in dealing with gold IRA's. Once selected, some paper work will need to be filled out, which includes the amount you will be rolling into the new gold IRA account, any beneficiaries to be included on the account, along with some additional standard information.

An IRA gold investment setup usually takes anywhere from 3-5 business days following the initiation of the process. Once this is complete, it is time to select and place the metals into your IRA account! Remember, there are only certain products that are permissible in a IRA, all of which your broker should be able to provide to you.